Clothes caddy



Jan. 16, 1968 s. COOPER CLOTHES CADDY Filed Oct. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR SAMUEL I. Coo/ 55 ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1968 s. l. COOPER 3,363,777

CLOTHES CADDY Filed Oct. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet ,2

INVENTOR SAN/um I. COOPER ATTORNEY Patented .Ian. 16, 1968 3,363,777 CLOTHES CADDY Samuel 1. Cooper, 2043 Sargent Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55105 Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 496,786 9 Claims. (Cl. 211-86) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention includes a clothes caddy adapted for attachment to a horizontal, Vertical or inclined generally flat suface. It includes a standard which is normally supported to extend vertically. At the upper end of the stand ard a garment supporting means is pivotally attached for movement from side by side storage relation to said standard to right angular relation thereto to support garments. A supporting bracket is hingedly connected to the lower end of the standard foldable from a side by side storage position to a right angular position. Means which may include a ratchet holds the supporting bracket in adjusted relation to the standard. The supporting bracket includes members engageable with opposite sides of a flat supporting surface.

This invention relates to an improvement in clothes caddy and deals particularly with a versatile type of rack which may be temporarily mounted on a flat horizontal surface, a generally vertical surface, a towel rack or any of a multitude of supports, and which includes a series of pivoted arms designed to support the clothing.

Clothes caddies of various types have been provided for temporarily supporting clothes while they are being handled. For example, when ironing clothes, it is often convenient to have a portable rack from which the ironed clothes may be hung until they are put away. Most racks which have been used for this purpose are bulky and cumbersome, and usually require a specific type of support unless the rack is of large enough size to stand upon the floor. An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a simple, foldable rack which may be stored in a relatively small space and which may be attached to a considerable number of supporting surfaces to serve the intended purpose.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a device of the type described which includes a mounting bracket having a bracket portion designed to extend on one side of a support. The bracket includes a relatively flat portion having a pair of diverging arms designed to engage one side of a fiat support and a generally hook-shaped bracket arm having ends which engage the opposite side of a flat support. The hook-shaped arm is spaced from the extremity of the generally flat portion of the bracket. A standard is hingedly secured to the other end of the flat portion of the bracket, and means is provided for adjusting the angularity of the standard relative to the bracket. A supporting arm which may extend horizontally from the upper end of the standard supports a series of arms on substantially vertical pivots, the arms being foldable to project from the side of the standard opposite that from which the bracket extends.

When the bracket is secured to a generally horizontal support such as an ironing board or the like, the fiat portion of the bracket extends beueath the ironing board with its ends engaging theunder surface of the board at a point substantially spacedfrom the edge thereof. The hook-shaped bracket angles upwardly from the fiat bracket portion, and the ends of these bracket arms incline downwardly and in a direction generally toward the end of the flat bracket portion. The standard is held in an upright position in generally right angular relation to the fiat portion of the bracket by the adjustment means, and

the arms project from the opposite side of the standard from the bracket. As a result, the weight of the clothes or other material supported by the arms acts to clamp the ends of the flat portion of the bracket against the under side of the support.

When the bracket is used on an upright support, such as a chair-back or the like, the fiat portion of the bracket extends along one side of the chair back to engage the chair-back at a point substantially spaced from the upper edge thereof, while the hook-shaped bracket hooks over the top of the chair-back and engage the opposite side thereof. The standard is adjusted into vertical position and the device is used in the same manner as before. When the device is used on a towel rack or the like, the hookshaped bracket is merely hooked over the horizontal bar of the towel rack and the fiat portion of the bracket engages the wall beneath the level of the towel rack.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a plurality of arms having upwardly turned ends extending through, and pivotally supported by, a supporting arm. These arms may be pivoted into parallel relation to the supporting arm, or may be pivoted into angular relation thereto for the support of garments. Means is provided for holding the plurality of arms in an adjusted relation.

These and other objects and novel features of the pres ent invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the clothes caddy in readiness for use and supported upon a horizontal surface.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the clothes caddy in folded condition.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of the clothes caddy, showing the manner in which it is supported upon a horizontal surface.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the clothes caddy in the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 of the drawings.

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the clothes caddy, the position of the view being indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of the clothes caddy in its folded condition.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the clothes caddy may be supported by a generally vertical surface.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view through the supporting arm and showing the manner in which the garment supporting arms are pivotally secured thereto.

FIGURE 9 is an inverted perspective view of the bracket employed for holding the garment supporting arms in an adjusted position.

The clothes caddy A includes a standard 10 which is shown as being of hollow tubing of rectangular cross section. A pair of arms 11 are hingedly connected to 0pposite sides of the. standard 10 by means of a pivot 12. As indicated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings, the arms 11 are provided with parallel end portions 13 hinged to opposite sides of the standard 10, and the aims are bent to diverge somewhat at the other ends 14. The free ends of the arms 11 are provided with resilient closure caps 15. The arms 11 form a generally horizontal or fiat portion which may underlie a horizontal surface such as the bottom of an ironing board or table B.

A hook-shaped bracket 16 is secured through the arms 11 and holds them in proper relationship. A bracket 16 includes a flange 17 secured in face contact with the arms 11 by bolts or rivets 19, and a bifurcated body portion 20 which is at right angles to the flange 17. The bifurcated body portion 20 supports a pair of arms 21 U which are directed generally toward the free ends of the arms 11. These arms 21 are designed to hook over the upper surface of a horizontal member such as the ironing board or table B, while the arms 11 extend beneath the same.

The lower end of the standard 10 is vertically slotted to accommodate a gear or rachet segment 22, an end of which is pivotally connected to the standard It} by means of a pivot 23. The gear or ratchet segment 22 has a series of spaced teeth 24 on its outer surface which are selectively engagable with an edge of the flange 17 of the hook-shaped bracket 16. FIGURE 3 of the drawings shows the segment 22 supporting the arms 11 in position to engage the under-surface 25 of the ironing board or table B while the arms 21 of the bracket are in engagement with the upper surface 26 thereof. Thus, the member 22 is designed to hold the standard 10 in an upright position while the arms 11 and bracket 16 are in engagement with the horizontal member B.

A suporting arm 27 is mounted at the upper end of the standard it), and is designed to fold from a position in parallel relation to the standard 10 to a position in right angular relation thereto. A channel-shaped bracket 29 is secured to the standard it) by bolts, rivets or other suitable means extending through apertures 39 in the space 31 of the bracket 29. The fastening means are omitted from FIGURE 6 of the drawings in order that the bracket construction may be more readily visible. The parallel sides 32 of the bracket 29 extend above the level of the standard 10 and are spaced apart a proper distance to accommodate the supporting arm 27 therebetween. The supporting arm is shown as being a rectangular tubular member similar to the standard 10. A transverse pivot 33 extends through the channel to 32 and through the end of the supporting arm 27 to pivotally connect the arm and standard. The position of the pivot 33 is such that when the supporting arm 27 is swung through an angle of approximately 270 degrees from the side by side relation to the standard It} illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 6 of the drawings to its horizontal position overlying the upper end of the standard as indicated in FIGURE 1. Pivotal movement of the supporting arm 27 is limited by the engagement of the supporting arm 27 with the upper end of the standard It).

A series of garment supporting arms are pivotally supported by the supporting arm 27. Two of these arms 34 are pivotally supported in relatively close relation to the pivot 33 while the other two arms 35 are pivotally supported at a greater distance from the pivot 33. As indicated in FIGURE 1, the arms 34 and 35 may include inner end portions 36 and outer end portions 37 in telescoping relation to permit extension of the arms. The outer ends of the arms are preferably closed by caps 38.

As indicated in FIGURES l, 8 and 9 of the drawings, a bracket 39 is secured to the under-surface of the supporting arm 27 when this arm is in its horizontal position. The bracket 39 is generally channel-shaped in form and includes a base portion 40 which is secured in face contact with the under-surface of the supporting arm 27 and a pair of right angularly extending flanges 41 and 42 extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof. The flanges 41 and 42 are provided with notched undersurfaces, the edges including a pair of closely spaced notches 43 and a pair of outer notches 44. The purpose of the notches will be described. The ends of the arms 35 are bent at right angles as indicated at 45 to comprise vertical pivots extending through aligned apertures 46 in the supporting arm 27. The arms 35 are provided with similarly right angularly turned ends 47 which extend upwardly through aligned apertures 49 in the supporting arm 27. The flange 41 which is closest to the pivot point 33 is longer than the flange 42 and the right angularly turned arm ends 45 are similarly longer than the corresponding angularly turned ends 47 0f the arms 35. As a result, the arms 35 are supported above the level of the arms 34.

A slightly concave spring 50 overlies the upper surface on the arm 27 and includes apertures 51 near one end of the spring through which the upwardly extending ends of the arms 34 extend. The opposite end of the spring is similarly apertured as indicated at 52 to accommodate the upwardly extending ends 47 of the arms 35. The arm ends 45 and 47 are provided with heads 53 and 54 to limit the downward movement of the arms relative to the spring 58'. The spring permits the arms 34 and 35 to be moved from one notch such as 43 to the other such as 44, and holds the arm in angular relation to the supporting arm 27 or in parallel relation thereto. FIGURE 7 of the drawings shows the manner in which the device may be supported by a generally vertical surface such as the back of a chair or the like. The hook-like bracket 16 hooks over one surface of the chair-back C while the arms 11 engage the opposite surface thereof. The ratchet segment 22 holds the legs 11 in proper relation to the bracket 16, and holds the standard It) in an upright position.

The clothes caddy A may be also supported by a horizontal rail such as a towel rack or the like by hooking the hook ends 21 of the bracket 16 over the rack while the arms 11 engage the surface of the wall. Thus, the caddy may be supported by either a horizontal surface, a vertical surface, or a rail or similar support.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in clothes caddy, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A clothes caddy including,

a standard,

garment supporting means secured to said standard adjoining the upper end thereof,

a supporting bracket hingedly connected to said standard adjoining the lower end thereof,

said supporting bracket including a first bracket member adapted to engage one side of a supporting member, and a second bracket member secured to the first bracket member terminating intermediate the ends of said first bracket member and spaced therefrom to accommodate the supporting member therebetween,

said holding means comprising an acruate ratchet segment hingedly connected to said standard on an axis parallel to, and spaced from, the hinge axis connecting said standard to said supporting bracket, and

means on said supporting bracket engageable with said ratchet segment to hold said standard at a desired angular relation to said supporting bracket.

2. A clothes caddy including,

a standard,

garment supporting means secured to said standard adjoining the upper end thereof,

a supporting bracket hingedly connected to said standard adjoining the lower end thereof, said supporting bracket including a first bracket member adapted to engage one side of a supporting member, and a second bracket member secured to the first bracket member terminating intermediate the ends of said first bracket member and spaced therefrom to accommodate the supporting member therebetween, and mean for holding said supporting bracket in an adjusted angular relation to said standard, said first bracket member including a pair of spaced bracket arms having free ends, and said second bracket member including a pair of hookshaped bracket arms secured at one end of said first named bracket arms and diverging away from, and

then toward, said free ends of said first named bracket arms.

3. The structure of claim 2 and in which the free ends of said first named bracket arms are angled toward said one side of a supporting member when engaged therewith.

4. A clothes caddy including,

a standard,

garment supporting means secured to said standard adjoining the upper end thereof,

a supporting bracket hingedly connected to said standard adjoining the lower end thereof, said supporting bracket including a first bracket member including a pair of generally parallel bracket arms hingedly secured to opposite sides of said standard, said bracket arms having angularly related free ends adapted to extend upwardly toward the under surface of a horizontal supporting member when said bracket arms underlie said supporting member in generally parallel relation thereto, said supporting bracket also including a second bracket member including a pair of hook-shaped arms secured at one end to said first named bracket arms at points substantially spaced from said free ends,

said hook-shaped arms extending upwardly from said first named arms in horizontal position thereof and then angling downwardly toward the free ends of said first named arms,

the ends of said hook arm terminating in spaced relation to said first named arms and being adapted to engage the upper surface of a horizontal support engaged by said first named arms at points between the points of engagement of said first named arms and the edge of said support, and means hingedly connected to said standard and engageable with said supporting bracket to hold said standard in adjusted angular relation with said supporting bracket.

5. The structure of claim 4 and in which said last named means includes an arcuate ratchet segment hinged to said standard on an axis parallel to, and spaced from the hinge axis between said supporting bracket and said standard, and

means on said supporting bracket releasably engaged by said ratchet segment.

6. The structure of claim 4 and in which said second bracket member includes a cross-member connecting the ends of said hook-shaped arms which are attached to said first named bracket arms,

said cross-member forming the means on said supporting bracket releasably engaged by said ratchet segment.

7. A collapsible clothes caddy including,

a standard,

garment supporting means secured to said standard adjoining the upper end thereof,

a supporting bracket hinged connected to said standard adjoining the lower end thereof,

said supporting bracket including a pair of bracket members engageable with opposite sides of a supporting member, and

adjustment means for holding said standard and said supporting bracket in a predetermined angular relation,

said garment supporting means including an arm hingedly connected by a bracket to said standard and movable on an axis between positions of generally side by side relation to said standard and generally perpendicular relation to said standard,

said axis being spaced laterally from said standard, and above the level thereof whereby said supporting arm maybe pivoted from parallel side by side relation to said standard when said standard is erect to a horizontal position overlying the upper end of said standard and supported thereby.

8. The structure of claim 7 and including a plurality of additional supporting arms hingedly connected to said first supporting arm adjacent to the pivoted end thereof.

9. The structure of claim and in which said additional supporting arms are telescopic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 821,247 5/ 1906 Lehmkuhl 248284 1,367,697 2/1921 Hagerman 211100 2,472,480 6/ 1949 Huhn 21186 2,593,567 4/1952 Keck 211-86 2,916,158 12/ 1959 Vosbikian et al. 21186 ROY D. FRAZI ER, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM D. LOVLAN, Assistant Examiner. 

